In observance of the anniversary of D-Day last Sunday, Claire and I spent the evening watching, "The Longest Day," that classic 1962 film starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and dozens of other international stars. We had earlier spoken of the world-changing event at church that morning and at our book club's discussion the night before -- natural enough given that the book was The Steel Wave, the second in Jeff Shaara's terrific WWII trilogy and the one that specifically concentrates on Operation Overlord.Contrasting this was President Obama's observance of the D-Day anniversary.
He didn't bother himself with it at all.
Nearby, however, there was an observance but it turned out to create as great an offense to some observers as did Barack Obama's indifference to the day's patriotic significance. For in Bedford, Virginia, the new National D-Day Memorial was unveiled but many visitors were dismayed and disgusted to see that alongside busts of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Winston Churchill was one of Communist dictator and mass murderer Josef Stalin!
Thus, while the Russians and those in countries once dominated by the Soviet Union have done a thorough job in destroying Stalin statues, the little town of Bedford, Virginia now can boast of erecting a new one!
And, though pressure on the memorial's designers forced them to put a plaque underneath the bust which mentions Stalin's crimes, the people of Bedford are not at all happy. In an online poll conducted by the town's local newspaper, 94.8 percent of 429 respondents said a bust of Stalin should not be part of the memorial.
Also unhappy are the 2,500 and counting that have joined the Facebook page, "Josef Stalin Must Not Be Honored At The National D-Day Memorial." Claire and I have signed up and invite you to do so also.
Not surprisingly, the decision to include Stalin in the Memorial has a lot of Eastern Europeans wondering just what kind of madness is afoot. They know all too well the effect of Stalin's brutality -- the show trials, the Gulag, the forced starvations, the genocide, the years of oppression and tyranny.
"I'm shocked as a European citizen and as a European diplomat," one embassy official said. "It's shocking because this person was responsible for the deaths of millions of people."
Finally, a concluding word of protest from Dr. Lee Edwards, the Chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, statues of Joseph Stalin have been torn down all over Europe and even in the former Soviet Union itself. The world is closer than ever before to a consensus on the evils of communism and Stalin's primary role in the worst crimes of the last century. And yet a statue of Stalin is included in the National D-Day Memorial, to be dedicated in Bedford, Virginia, this Sunday, June 6.
Near the statue of Stalin, a plaque catalogues Stalin's crimes against millions of people both in Russia and throughout Europe. But no mere plaque can justify the inclusion of the statue which dishonors the heroic individuals who sacrificed so much on D-Day and in the Cold War.
A bust of Joseph Stalin has no place in a memorial whose purpose is to salute the brave soldiers who made D-Day a vital victory in the crusade for freedom.
I heartily agree. So, please join the Facebook page I mentioned above and consider writing at least a couple of letters and/or e-mails. Here's the appropriate contact information:
National D-Day Memorial Foundation
P.O. Box 77
Bedford, VA 24523
e-mail -- dday@dday.org
phone -- 540-586-3329 or toll-free 800-351-DDAY
SenatorMark R. Warner
459A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2023
Senator James H. 'Jim' Webb
248 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Toll Free phone: 866-507-1570
Representative (District 6) Robert W. 'Bob' Goodlatte
2240 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5431
Representative (District 5) Tom S. Perriello
1520 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-4711
President Obama
The White House,
District of Columbia 20500
Phone: (202) 456-1414
